Star revue sandy issue 2013

SOUTH BROOKLYN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

The Red Hook StarªRevue

OCTOBER 29, 2013 FREE

ONE YEAR AFTER

Fifty two Mondays of braving an-other week of survival and prog-ress. Three hundred sixty-five pull-your-hair-out, fingernails-

on-a-chalkboard days of frustration, ob-stacles and heartache. This ride through the heart of hell lingers on. So much healing remains undone.

In lower Manhattan, shadows filled the darkened night streets, as people isolated themselves. In Breezy Point, Queens, people were forced to abandon their homes that were destroyed by fire. In Coney Is-land, looters created disruption with their aggression and self-serving purposes. All over Brooklyn, police lie in wait at gas sta-tions to prevent violence and riots. But not in Red Hook.

Red Hook created something else instead. Something unique. Something the entire na-tion has taken notice of - community.

It’s five am, and I’m still editing. This is, by far, the most difficult paper I have

ever put together. To look back is to re-live.

I remember sitting down to write our cover story last year. What could I pos-sibly say to my beloved, distraught Red Hook? What kind of helping hand was I with my overly sentimental words? In the wee morning hours, I blink heavily again, grappling for words to describe how proud and honored I am to be a part of this.

We will rise above the ashes. We will re-build. We will survive and grow stronger because we understand that two hands can do little, but multiple hands serving the same purpose will define and refine us.

Sometimes there just are not words for the emotions that come forth. The year has flown quickly. Yet there are thousands of pictures that mark the journey. The words “community” and “resiliency” are common in our vo-cabularies now. One I don’t hear often enough is bravery.

As this masterpiece of a community got to its feet and took those first harrowing steps forward, the eyes of the world were watch-ing in awe.

We were brave. We remain brave still in our commitment to community and resiliency. We are not the distressed damsel in the tower waiting for the hero to come and rescue us. We were not lucky. We worked hard and stuck together. We have become our own he-roes. That is why we survived - and why we will continue to prosper.

We became the source of our own needs - from within. We have organized, ral-lied and supported each other. When there has been need, we have found a way to fill it. And when devastation seemed to have knocked us down, we still found the strength to rebuild.

We all came to Red Hook for different reasons. But the choice to stay was an easy one. We have become something greater

than just ourselves. We have transcended into something bigger - community.

We are neighbors of a community that can be envied in every corner of the world. We stand united, in power, compassion and inspiration. We have found our greatest strength in a moment of great weakness.One entire year later, we are settling in to our “new normal.” We have taken major steps forward in our recovery. But we are not finished healing yet. When the physical work is complete, let us be kind to ourselves. Let us find time to heal.

Thank you for illustrating what it means to be a community. Thank you for ex-emplifying the true model of human spirit. Thank you for giving me hope and setting the example for the kind of world I want to live in. Along the way, we are weaving a beautiful tapestry that gen-erations will remember and look upon as something of magnificence. - Kimberly

Page 2 Red Hook Star-Revue www.RedHookStar.com October 2013



OCTOBER 29, 2013 VOLUME 4 NO. 11

Table of ContentsPictures of Sandy ...... 10,11 Businesses .......... 12,13Editors Notebook ............ 15 Ecology....................... 5Sandy Events .................. 14 Gumshoes .................. 8kamau interview ............. 18 Fairway ..................... 20

STAFF

Kimberly G. Price ......................................Editor/Publisher

George Fiala ......................................... Graphics/Publisher

Daniel M. Cooper ......................................Associate Editor

Vince Musacchia .................................................Cartoons

ContributorsJenny Belin, A.B. Decker

Mary Ann Pietanza, Max Kutner, Lesley Ware

Jherelle Benn

Memberwww.facebook.com/redhookstarrevue

718.624.5568 - Editorial & Advertising 917.652.9128 News Tips101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 [email protected]

Local Art

@RedHookStar

PS 15 PTA PRESENTS

THE RED HOOK FALL FLEA

Saturday October 26th, 2013, 10am to 5pm

Located in the PS 15 School Yard on Van Brunt Street

between Wolcott & Sullivan

Red Hook’s local community school PS 15’s PTA will be hosting our annual flea market. Come and find that missing treasure, browse, chat, eat, and enjoy the many activities available. The day promises to be a joy-filled celebration of the unique com-munity of Red Hook.

Sellers of all stripes include: VINTAGE, NEW AND USED CLOTHING & FURNITURE, JEWELRY, HAND CRAFTS, BOOKS, DVDS, TOYS AND LOTS OF LOCAL EATS AND SWEETS!

Activities for the whole family throughout the day in-clude: a ‘Throw Down’ food competition between Van Brunt restaurants and PS 15 parents; Robotic, art for kids and much more!

The Fashion world of Jean Paul Gaultier: From Sidewalk to the Catwalk will be on display at the Brooklyn Museum from October 25, 2013 through February 23, 2015. Admission is $15 for adults; $10 for students, seniors and members. 200 Eastern Parkway

“Collaboration,” an exhibition by jewelry artist Steve Riley and ceramic artist Greg Hendren will be on display November 2-24 at Sweet Lorraine Gallery by appointment. Opening reception is Saturday November 2 from 6-9 pm. 183 Lorraine Street.

Brooklyn Museum is the final venue for WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath on view November 8-February 2, 2014. 200 Eastern Parkway

Pioneer Works is hosting a special reception and performance with Chi-co MacMurtrie and Amorphic Robot Works: Chrysalis on Saturday, Octo-ber 26 from 4-7 pm.

Through October 27, Kentler International Drawing Space exhibits two art-ists with solo exhibitions; David Ambrose: Surface to Surface and Mi-chael Kukla: Hex & Grid at 353 Van Brunt. Gallery hours are Thursdays through Sundays 12-5 pm.

Happenings SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26The Gowanus Canal Conservancy is looking for volunteers to finish their greenhouse with Boy Scout troop 815, compost, and fall beekeeping activities from 11 am-3 pm. Salt Lot, 2nd Ave between 5th St. and the canal.PS 15 is having their annual Fall Flea from 10 am-5 pm in the school court-yard. Attendees are encouraged to donate school supplies for students. Other events include a throw down food competition between parents and Van Brunt restaurants, yoga and swing dancing led by Cora Dance, and art for kids. Van Brunt between Wolcott and SullivanPuppetry Arts is having their 9th Annual Haunted Halloween Carnival from 11 am-3 pm at 1st Street and 4th Avenue. The first 200 kids receive gift bags.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27Urban Meadow’s 11th Annual Halloween Party & Parade runs from 10 am-12:30 pm. The Underground Horns band will lead a neighborhood cos-tume parade at 11 am. Come in costume and bring a percussion. The event is free and hot chocolate, baked goods and t-shirts will be for sale.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1Red Hook Initiative, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Assemblyman Felix Ortiz and Time Warner Cable invite the community to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Time Warner Cable Learning Lab at 11 am. RHI is located at 767 Hicks Street.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2Franz is having an open house from 5-11 pm for his new studio at 100 Coffey Street to show new works.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3BumbleBeesRus’ Sunday Fun Day Movie Day will show Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who at 76 Lorraine Street from 12-3. All Children 5 and under and their siblings 10 and under are welcome. Children must be accom-panied by a parent. FREE

ONGOINGNew York Water Taxi partners with Red Hook Winery to offer Fall Foliage Cruises October 26-27 and November 2-3 from 12-5 pm. To purchase tickets, call 212.742.1969Teamworks Unlimited’s first public art work, “An Impalpable Sustenance” site-specific, self-guided audio tour is available for download through October 31 at http://bit.ly/15DJJH0. Go to the corner of Cranberry and Columbia Heights and press play. The 40 minute excursion can be done anytime on any day before sunset, is wheelchair accessible and free to the public. Artists will at the starting point from 1-3 pm Saturday and Sunday, October 26-27. The Groundwork Festival at Cora Studio-Theater will run from October 23-26. For full details and tickets, visit www.coradance.org.Prospect Park will host Boo at the Zoo on October 26 & 27 with activities including a costume parade, a dance party, a spooky barn and wildlife witch shows. For full details, visit www.prospectparkzoo.com.

Red Hook Star-Revue www.RedHookStar.com October 29, 2013 Page 3

In the year since Hurricane San-dy, Red Hook residents and busi-ness owners have heard various government plans for recovery

and protection against future storms. Yet some community members are skeptical.

In July, Governor Cuomo announced the NY Rising Community Recon-struction Program (CRP), which will allocate more than $750 million to 102 communities affected by Hurri-canes Sandy and Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Red Hook will receive three million dollars, the minimum amount available, a value determined by the claims made to FEMA.

At a public meeting held at PS 15 on October 15th, the Red Hook CRP committee said it is working with the development firms HR&A and Parsons Brinckerhoff to create a plan based on public feedback. The com-mittee will submit that plan to the state by the end of March 2014.

Ian Marvy, co-chair of the Red Hook CRP committee, acknowledged the community’s frustration with some post-Sandy plans. “Red Hook has had more plans presented to it than you can count and most of those were nev-er realized,” he said. But community involvement, Marvy added, will make the CRP different. “We’re a group of residents with knowledge, experience, and access to the neighborhood,” he said of the committee. “We’re not a set of 20 planners.”

Some people, however, expressed concerns about the CPR. “No mat-ter what brilliant plans are presented, three million dollars will not get it done in Red Hook,” said Monica By-rne, co-founder of the group ReStore Red Hook and chef and partner at the wine bar home/made. Byrne said the state approached her to be commit-tee chair, but she declined because it was not her area of expertise.

Drop in the bucketGita Nandan, co-chair with Marvy, echoed Byrne’s sentiment saying that three million dollars was only “a drop

in the bucket.” She said, “The proj-ect we select will have to meet that budget, but we want to think big” “It’s seed money to kick off a much bigger potential project.”

Carolina Salguero, a CRP committee member and founding director of the waterfront nonprofit PortSide, said the success of the plan is contingent on the community’s attitude. “This is a case where disengagement will not help,” she said.

In addition to the CRP, Red Hook is involved in a citywide plan. In June, Mayor Bloomberg released the report, “A Stronger, More Resilient New York,” through the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR). The 438-page document outlines $20 billion worth of post-Sandy recom-mendations.

For Red Hook, SIRR suggests install-ing “a flood protection system” that will “not interfere with the neighbor-

Government recovery plans spur cautious hopeby Max Kutner

bus and ferry service. Also along the former Mayor’s plan are suggestions to use the Red Hook Recreational Area as a flood barrier. It further sug-gests providing financial and techni-cal assistance to commercial corridors and working with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to im-prove retail and community areas near the Red Hook Houses.

Nadan addressed the concern that the city and state plans may not align. “Many things happen in New York City simultaneously. The planners and consultants were asked to look from a regional perspective, to cross check and work alongside other things happening,” she said of the people in-volved in the CRP.

hood fabric during non-storm condi-tions.” This system could be a non-permanent sea wall assembled before storms and ready by 2016.Bloomberg’s plan also calls for im-proved transportation between Red Hook and other parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan, including expanded

People in Red Hook continue to hear about assistance on the federal level as well. In October, FEMA announced a six-month extension for Hurricane Sandy-related flood insurance claims. The original deadline for filing a Proof of Loss form was October 29th, the one-year anniversary of the storm. The new deadline is April 28th, 2014.

Goldie Rosenberg, a volunteer agency liaison for FEMA, attended PortSide’s monthly Sandy Survivor Meeting in September. “Disasters start locally and end locally,” Rosenberg said, add-ing that she was optimistic about re-covery in Red Hook. “Compared to other neighborhoods,” she said, “it’s way ahead.”

Attendees were asked to write their ideas on wall charts. (photos by Fiala)

Steve Kondaks explains his ideas for inland flood walls surrounding Red Hook to James Vogel from Senator Velmanette Montgomery’s office. Velmanette is listening intently on the left.

The October 15th community meeting of NY Rising packed the gym at PS 15 with curi-ous community residents, local politicians, the media and consultants.

Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue www.RedHookStar.com October 29, 2013

Lillie Marshall and Phaedra Thomas at an EPA outreach meeting at PS 15.

Six months after enduring one of the worst hurricanes the East Coast has ever seen, the com-munity of Red Hook continues

to inspire us all with its endurance and positivity.

No one seems to understand persever-ance better than the residents of Red Hook. That’s because that’s exactly what the people have done and contin-ue to do; persevere. And they are going strong.

On October 29, Red Hook was covered in about five feet of water. Parked cars began floating down streets like boats in an overflowing stream. Trees were down everywhere. Without power the neigh-borhood fell into darkness. However, that didn’t stop Red Hook resident, Eddie Acosta from checking in on his neighbors.

“I could hear yelling and screaming, and I knew that there was a young mother who lived upstairs with two kids. I had to go see if she and her kids were okay. So I ran upstairs. It turns out she was up there panicking in front of the kids, who were about five and seven years old. I basically just tried to calm her down until the worst of the storm was over. Those poor kids were terrified.”

Eddie, a retired vet, has lived in Red Hook his entire life. He has a love for the neighborhood and couldn’t bear to see the way Hurricane Sandy left it - a neighborhood even he could barely rec-ognize. Although disaster relief teams

came to the area fairly quickly after the storm ended, it wasn’t fast enough for Eddie. Immediately after the hurricane died down, he began doing whatever he could do to help, from cleaning out apartments to electrical work. He also found himself doing exactly what he did the night of the storm, checking on his neighbors to make sure they were al-right.

These days, it’s Eddie that needs the checking up on. After helping to clean out many homes in the area, Eddie has inhaled mold, which in turn has affected his lung functioning. Doctors say there isn’t much they can do to help, but his health should improve over time.

Despite his health, Eddie says he would do it all over again if he had too.

“This is where I was born and raised, and even something like Hurricane Sandy isn’t going to keep me away from the neighborhood that I love,” he said.

And why should it? “After the hurri-cane hit, there was a real sense of com-munity to the neighborhood. Neighbors that had previously barely spoken to each other became best friends. People began to stop one another on the street to ask how they were doing. I want that spirit to continue and I think it has,” Eddie explained.Surprisingly enough, Eddie says that as far as plans for next time go, he has none. “If it happens, it happens. I can’t focus on that.” Here’s to hoping he nev-er has to.

All you could hear was laugh-ter coming from the inside of 351 Van Brunt Street. Half a year ago, that un-

fortunately wasn’t the case. On the six month anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, residents of Red Hook and volunteers alike came together to remember, sup-port, and reconnect with one another. And that’s exactly what they did.

During the days and weeks following the storm, Red Hook residents had few options or places to turn to for help. FEMA officials had not yet set up their facilities, and neither had the American Red Cross. A glimmer of light during a time of no electricity, heat, or working facilities shone from Realty Collective. Remarkably, Realty Collective, a realty office and art gallery located at 351 Van Brunt Street, was one of the only prop-erties that not only had electricity but also heat and a working restroom while all of their neighbors did not. It was dur-ing this time that PortSide NewYork, a non-profit organization that works to revitalize neighborhoods, teamed up with Realty Collective founder Victoria Hagman to provide recovery aid to Red Hook.

“She basically handed the keys right over to us, no questions asked,” said Dan Goncharoff, an employee of PortSide.. Realty Collective became a place for everything from charging a cell phone, to receiving legal advice. People could

go there to find a licensed contractor or to simply find a comforting ear. It be-came a place for people to support and help each other in any way they could. It ultimately became a place to recover.

On Wednesday, April 24, 2013, The White House took notice of PortSide’s activities awarding them a Champion of Change Award, an honor given to those organizations and individuals who go the extra mile in helping to inspire and empower communities.

“I wanted people to reconnect, to rekin-dle that spirit of togetherness, that we all felt after Hurricane Sandy hit,” said Carolina Saguero, director of PortSide NewYork. “That’s the purpose of the Sandy Survivor Get Together.”

Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a disaster to happen before people come together to help one another. How-ever, that is when we realize that every cloud has a silver lining. That silver lin-ing came in the form of the friendships that were made and the bonds that were formed after Sandy. The people from Realty Collective and PortSide want to help make sure that those bonds are never broken and those friendships are not forgotten.From wine and cheese to cake and cof-fee, PortSide and Realty Collective came together to offer members of the Red Hook community a place to hear and be heard, all while admiring the art-work found in the gallery.

Six Month Look Back

EDDIE ACOSTA’S HELPFUL HANDby Elizabeth Kelly

STORM OF TOGETHERNESSby Elizabeth Kelly


Most New Yorkers tend to pay little notice to the many waterways that sur-round our boroughs, ex-

cept to jokingly remark on their state of filth - never realizing that NYC’s waters area place of vibrant ecological diversi-ty. From mollusks, to fish, to sea plants, and more NYC’s waters are home to a diverse and thriving aquatic environ-ment. An ecology borne of the unique-ly creative circumstances that make up the New York Estuary. The combina-tion of oceanic tides and river currents that is our water system provides for a cornucopia of diverse creatures that thrive in brackish waters.

Due to its geography at a confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and Hudson River, New York Harbor is really an estuary containing a mixture of salt and fresh water, a combination which produces high levels of nutrients in both the wa-ter and sediment allowing for some of the most productive natural habitats in the world. It is here that Hurricane Sandy first hit New York City last fall, and it is here that the reverberations of the storm are still being assessed.

Sandy spewed forth pollutionHurricane Sandy brought a huge amount of pollution into the Hudson River. A large amount of contaminants from industrial and residential build-ings, as well as subways and cars made its way into our waterways both during and after the storm. Due to loss of elec-tricity, several sewage treatment plants along the Hudson released raw or par-tially treated sewage into local water-ways.

How does this affect what lives in that water? According to a report put out by climate change- monitoring organiza-tion Climate Central, increased levels of phosphorous and nitrogen brought

water and check the contamination levels,” he said. And what did they find? “Shockingly, the water held lower contamination levels than it did pre-Sandy. There was also less floatable de-bris present than there was before the hurricane,” Lipscomb said. This is because of Hurricane Sandy’s strong storm surge which did two things: it pushed sewage that would normally flow back into the river onto the streets of the city and into homes; and it brought in a substantial tide of clean ocean water which helped to di-lute the sewage. As Lipscomb succinct-ly put it, “When you flush the toilet the condition in the toilet gets much better. Well, that’s basically what hap-pened during Sandy. The tremendous influx of water from the Atlantic Ocean pushed out the accumulated debris in our arm of the sea.”

As for the Gowanus, “Post-Sandy sam-plings revealed no rise in natural con-taminants (such as heavy metals), but did show a rise in sewage and bacteria.” Suszkowski said.

No tidal water in the GowanusAs a semi sequestered waterway the Gowanus experienced a rise in con-tamination levels even while the larger waterways did not because the Gowa-nus did not have direct access to the in-flow of tidal water that helped to dilute larger areas like the Hudson and Upper New York Bay.

NYC’s wetlands took the worst of the beating accruing much sediment and debris after the storm. The city’s coastal marshes were completely submerged for days following the hurricane and the small animals living there such as ro-dents and rabbits were essentially wiped out. This left an unknown, but possibly devastating future for their wading bird predators such as the great blue heron, white ibis and snowy egret.

The Hudson River Foundation’s Sci-ence director Dennis Suszkowski says, “Hurricane Sandy brought large sedi-ment delivery to our marshes, and this inundation of debris can affect the species that make the wetlands their home.” But, he goes on, “There is no concern for long-time effects on mobile aquatic species such as fish.”

But overall many scientists and re-searchers were surprised to find that there was no real evidence of marine life die-off due to Sandy.

CUNY Biology professor John Wald-man had this to say, “The RAPD sur-vey my colleagues and I did right after the storm showed no major effects on any organisms as assessed by obvious major mortalities. There was a fair amount of habitat alteration obviously, concerning new inlets, beach erosion and sand deposition, etc., but that’s not necessarily harmful to marine wildlife. Many months later though, I came to realize that a near dearth in 2013 of a little bait-fish called Silversides across the high Sandy impact area likely was due to the storm. Silversides live near the surface along the shore in large numbers and are fed on by Bluefish and

Striped Bass and other predators from spring to fall. This year they have been incredibly scarce and I have concluded they must have been pummeled by the onslaught of those waves. While a drop in the numbers of a bait-fish may not seem all that dramatic, it is ecologically relevant as these bait-fish help drive the local food chain and help support local fisheries, which suffered this year.” The Silverside fish was an inhabitant of such storm-torn areas as Flushing Bay, Jamaica Bay, and Staten Island coastal areas.

Marine life copes betterThe reason many researchers assumed there would be detrimental effects to aquatic life was because the storm had wrought such significant and lasting de-struction on the human environment of the city. But it would seem, given the evidence, that our marine life popula-tion was much better able to cope with the storm than the human population. A finding that perhaps shouldn’t seem so surprising when one considers that marine life has had millions of years to learn to adapt to strong storms, whereas NYC has only had a few hundred years.

As Lipscomb points out, “In the 1950’s NYC’s waters were much dirtier than they are today, and yet we had many more fish living in those waters back then than we have now. What has de-pleted our fish populations is not con-tamination but over-fishing.” In this light, it seems New Yorkers themselves are more of a threat to our cities marine life than nature could ever be.

New water ecology after Hurricane Sandyby A.B. Decker

Following Hurricane Sandy, the Bloomberg administration released a grandiose and far-reaching plan to bolster the city’s ability to withstand future storms. Known as the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resil-iency, its Coastal Protection Strategies component calls for the erection of flood walls, levees, and storm surge bar-riers around the city at multiple points of vulnerability. This report as well as Bloomberg’s ambitious Waterfront Re-vitalization Program (WRP) proposes ecologically viable solutions wherever possible. Suszkowski feels the adminis-tration and the program’s contributors “face a real challenge in augmenting NYC’s waterfronts, and did a great job in recognizing the importance of main-taining natural habitats, and being open to modifications.”

“We lost a lot of our natural barriers from storms when New York City was first forming and our predecessors filled in much of the city’s shallow watered wetlands in order to have deeper water closer to shore for water navigation pur-poses,” says Suszkowski. Now we might have to retract that action by trading the steps of ancestral urban progress for a more modern concept, which has learned the hard lesson of the value of storm-preparedness and coastal protec-tion for a metropolis. The question of ecological sustainability must be syn-thesized into the equation of urban in-frastructure. But in a city obsessed with land development to its utmost shores, this could prove a very difficult task. into waterways by untreated sewage

leads to a rapid increase in algae blooms which collect on the waters surface and drive away normal aquatic life. This large release of contaminants can also lead to high concentrations of E. coli bacteria and other pathogens that can sicken fish who ingest them as well as the species that feed upon them, not to mention the general state of degrada-tion incurred on the water quality. Yet despite these overflows of waste contamination levels in the Hudson River Estuary, after Sandy were lower than what is normally seen after big storms. Watch-dog organization River-Keeper’s boat captain John Lipscomb spends a lot of time out on NY waters, “After Sandy we got out onto the Hud-son as soon as we could to sample the

Shore of the Gowanus (photos by Decker)


318 Van Brunt St, New York, NY 11231Phone:(718) 222-1865

ICEHOUSE

BROOKLYN

Remembering Sandy

People passing through Coffey Park on the second Saturday in Octo-ber would have caught Adam Wi-esehan red handed. The architect,

33, spent the morning spray-painting sten-cils for the Red Hook Tool Library, which lends out tools in the park every Saturday in October from 10 am-2 pm.

Wiesehan launched the library on Octo-ber 4th with librarian Margaret Day, 28, and geographer Mike Wissner, 30. Wi-esehan said that 30 to 50 people stopped by the library the first day and three peo-ple borrowed items, including an 8-year-old boy who took out a tape measure.

“Everyone can benefit from sharing a little more with each other, which is one of the first things you learn when you’re young; when you get older you forget,” said Day.The Red Hook Tool Library’s “Red Shed” consists of two wooden stands. One is the gallery, displaying tools like pliers, a staple gun, saws, and garden tools. The other stand has a map for people to plot where they use the tools. “We want to build relationships and learn about the projects people want,” said Wissner.

Wiesehan and Day came from Cobble Hill to volunteer in Red Hook after Hur-ricane Sandy. When they saw the need for tools, they started planning the library and applied for a Hurricane Relief Grant from the Citizens Committee For NYC.

“The storm hit and within days we put

together a program to respond to folks that live in the most low income and low asset neighborhoods of the city that were severely hit by storm,” said Saleen Shah, director of communications and outreach for the Citizens Committee. The organi-zation had two rounds of grants, during which it received 274 applications and distributed $242,000 to 94 groups. Proj-ects had to be volunteer-led, based in Flood Zone A, and had to satisfy a need that wasn’t already being met.“This was a kind of an easy yes for us be-cause we saw the public benefit of this, saw it was happening near one of the big-gest housing developments in Brooklyn - in a hardest hit area in Brooklyn - and folks doing it on their own,” said Shah about the Tool Library’s application.

Yet involving residents of that housing development, Red Hook Houses, has been challenging, Wiesehan said. Resi-dents there might have less of a need for tools since the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is responsible for home maintenance.

Similar tool libraries exist in other com-munities recovering from Sandy. The Rockaway Civic Association established a library in the Rockaways and Occupy Sandy operates one on Staten Island.

The group behind the project in Red Hook is Rekstur, a design and research team specializing in pop-up projects. Wiese-han and Day co-founded Rekstur in 2011

and Wissner joined this year. “De-sign is often not acces-sible without money, so we’re trying to change that,” said W i e s e h a n . Last year he and Day created an-other pop-up library at a bus stop in Bedford-Stuyvesant consisting of found furniture and used books.

“We’d often have conversations about what the future of libraries could be, tak-ing them out of traditional book librar-ies,” said Day. “We can’t just wait for institutions to create the change we want to see. We have to start to make some movement to these things ourselves.”

While the library’s second day was quiet, the community has been supportive. Fa-ther Eamon Murray of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church offered the library space to store its inventory. “It is great because they’re trying to help people,” Murray said. “Tools cost money,

especially good tools.” The Visitation Church is still recovering from Sandy, which Murray estimated has caused the church more than $600,000 in damages.

The Citizens Committee requires that projects finish by the end of October, al-though Shah said that is just a technical-ity. “For the Tool Library, it only makes sense that it carries through,” he said. But as November approaches, the “librarians” are considering long-term opportunities like collaborating with youth groups or operating from an indoor space.

“It may be smart to be one floor up,” said Wiesehan.

Red Hook’s innovative tool lending libraryby Max Kutner

The Red Hook Tool Library, located in Coffey Park, has been lending tools for free every Saturday in October.


Some students at Pratt Institute through the RAMP Summer Studios program studied the impact Hurricane Sandy had

in Red Hook. They discovered that are some opportunities from the devastation.

Three groups covering green infrastruc-ture, architecture, and community plan-ning, explored what the massive storm had done to the area. Working in the program’s guiding principles of recov-ery, adaptation, mitigation, and plan-ning students discovered lessons and created projects and plans to think act critically in response to global climate change right in Red Hook.

Within these three areas, each group found lessons that could possibly be beneficial to the community of Red Hook - if the plans are implemented. The solutions that the students discov-ered were presented through the Pratt Institute Disaster Resilience Network at an event in July at the Brooklyn Water-front Coalition.

While not every solution will be imple-mented for a variety of reasons, the stu-dents believe there is something for ev-eryone within Red Hook can walk away using at least one concept and use it in their own individual lives.

“This is the start of a conversation. We were making a lot of assumptions of what people may want,” Abraham Dreazen, a student in the architecture group, said.

The students who participated are hon-est enough to acknowledge that the vi-sions that they have for the area may not be exactly perfect for it, but the stu-dents still support their findings and are open to other ideas.

“We by no means believe that every as-sumption we made is correct,” Dreazen said.

Presenting these possible solutions and concentrated studies in the responses to Sandy and to similar responses to environmental impact elsewhere in the world were part of Pratt’s hope to help people consider Red Hook as an exam-ple of potential future changes.

One theme that was mentioned at the presentation was using the water near Red Hook to become the new money maker.

It is not just having the water become the new found local economic booster for the area but also changing how a lot of the community currently lives. The one new living idea proposed is to have “pier community.” It is a way of living that would allow those who live directly on or near the water to live there with-out the water causing massive damage to their homes or other major proprieties damaged by water such as cars. This is done by living on a platform itself and allowing for water to pass under with-out actually ever touching the home at a particular height depending on where someone is living. However, the plan would require the approval of the city before becoming a reality.

“There are examples of this in the Netherlands and in other countries,” Dreazen said.

To create more jobs based off of the wa-

ter and helping the environment, one solution included adding canals to the streets near the water. Those canals would collect runoff from the streets from the rain and trucks that go down some of the streets. There was also the idea of adding water parks.

An essential reason why there is the economic possibility based solely on water deals with the fact that Red Hook is has been deemed an open space. It is defined by the on the website of NY Department of Environment as, “Open space may be defined as an area of land or water that either remains in its natu-ral state or is used for agriculture, free from intensive development for resi-dential, commercial, industrial or insti-tutional use. Open space can be publicly or privately owned.”

Brooke Mayer, a member of the com-munity planning team explained, “Red Hook is at a really high ratio of open space compared to the rest of the city.”

In a joint email Mayer, Lindsey Don-nellon of the green infrastructure team, and Ron Shiffman a professor and for-mer director of Community Develop-ment at Pratt Institute explained how they believe Sandy is actually an oppor-tunity for Red Hook and neighborhoods similar to it.

“[Residents] can build their capacity to respond to these situations by becom-ing more aware of the climate risks their neighborhoods face,” Mayer said.

While Sandy caused tremendous debt to both businesses and residents alike, the new opportunities it brings could actu-ally be beneficial to the people of Red Hook “by gaining an understanding of

where vulnerable residents re-side within their community, and by building social capital to encourage and allow neighbors to assist one another in an emer-gency situation,” Mayer said.

When the next great storm will hit the East Coast is unknown, but people should prepare themselves now.

“In the immediate term, Red Hook residents could build this capacity by engaging in a series of training programs,” Mayer said.

There are two training pro-grams being talked about. One is a program produced by Pratt called the Recovery, Adapta-tion, Mitigation and Planning (RAMP) Initiative. The second is a program Pratt joined forces with called the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center.

These programs give residents the ability to understand what they are all capable of.

“These trainings would help the com-munity of Red Hook to develop pre-paredness strategies and resources be-fore crisis hits,” Mayer said.

To get to the point of clarity for Red Hook to reach this new path, Pratt spent time talking to the people in the community.

“There are a lot of opportunities. One of the things we were trying to look at

Pratt students create innovative solutionsby Camille Daniels

Professor Ron Shiffman leads discussion at BWAC confab ast summer (photos by Fiala)

Specializing In Bronze And Aluminum Casting For Artists For Over Thirty Years

BROOKLYN NEW YORK63 NINTH STREET 718.499.0044

in this exercise was to understand all the sad and unfortunate things that Red Hook had to deal with after Sandy. And look at [the experience] half full and see this as an opportunity to better the life of the neighborhood,” Dreazen said.

While the storm may have caused many problems, the students can see the chance to make Red Hook better, re-gardless if another storm strikes.

“The intentions were to start a debate, and to show possibilities, show what possibilities might be there from differ-ent people looking at it from different directions,” Dreazen said.


How do you prepare for a Superstorm? - an investigation by the Red Hook Gum-Shoe Reporters of P.S. 15 Patrick Daly Schoolby Jaylene Torrellas – 5th grader; Kashief Scott

– 5th grader; Louis Sorensen – 4th grader, Jada Vazquez – 4th grader. Written under the

supervision of Livia Pantuliano and Matt Graber

Last year, we - the Gumshoe reporters - interviewed David Sharps, the owner of Waterfront Museum, located on Lehigh Valley Barge #79 docked near Fairway. This year we went to interview him again. When we were talking to him, we found out how he prepared for Hur-ricane Sandy.

To prepare for the storm, Sharps “tied the blocks that held the lines to a six ton anchor. It was a lot of little things like that. See that piece of rock in the river?” he said, pointing to the rock. “I took a rope and wrapped it around it. And then I took another line and tied it to that rope.”

“See this line here?” David Sharps ex-plained, as we stood on the gangway. “I painted that line. That’s how high the water came. We were thirteen feet up. The barge was like Noah’s Arc. It was rising up and up.”

In the middle of the storm, two of the three strands of rope that were keeping the barge tied to the shore chaffed away. There was “one half of one strand that was keeping us tied to shore,” said Sharps.

Overall, he was fine. But it was a short victory for him, because when he went outside he saw all the devastation around

him. “Houses don’t float, boats do,” he said. Sharps had gasoline pumps that he lent to his neighbors who needed to pump water out.

David Sharps’ generosity wasn’t the only thing that was helping out in Red Hook. Red Hook Volunteers, a group of people trying to help the Red Hook neighbor-hood, also pitched in. “We had 2,000 volunteers and we sent them out to can-vas door to door to try to figure out what the needs were,” said one of the head organizers. “At the same time we were running three soup kitchens, five warm-ing stations; we did home deliveries for three months for people who couldn’t get food.”

The devastation in the area was wide-spread. People’s homes got flooded. Fair-way had to close. PS 15 was flooded and had to be shut down.

Individual Gumshoe AccountsJaylene Torrellas: I interviewed my neighbor. I asked her three simple questions. The first question I asked her was, “Did you lose furniture during the storm?” She said, “Yes, the stuff that I lost was a chair and a night stand.” The second question I asked my neigh-bor was, “Did you stay in the apartment during Sandy?” She said yes, she had no heat, light, gas or power.

The third and final question I asked her was, “How long did it take for your apart-ment to get repaired?” She said, “It took seven months and the elevator was flood-ed with water, and the water was nine feet up.”

Kashief Scott: As me, Kashief Scott, interviewed Shalorie Rosa, I asked her how she prepared for the storm. She said, “I prepared by getting clothes and

stuff I needed.”

Then I asked her if water got into her house. She said, “Yes, about two feet.” My follow-up question was, “Where did it come from?” She said, “It came from the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and the rest of my house.” She said, “The floor was hard to step on, because every-thing was falling.”

I asked her if she is back where she lives. “Yes,” she said, “but it took eight months.”

The last question I asked her was if she had control of Sandy, what would she stop from happening? She said, “The water, because no people would die or drown.”

Louis Sorensen: I interviewed Shanic Serrano, who is my mother. My first question was, “Did you leave your area?” She said, “No, because my street did not get flooded.”

She also quoted that she has two young

ones. After I asked if she had young ones, she said that they could not go to school for a week.

I asked her if she was prepared for the hurricane. She said yes. She bought bat-teries, water, candles, and stocked up on food. Being prepared helped, because we had no electricity, heat, or water for five days.

Jada Vazquez: I interviewed my mother.

How did you feel when you saw the water come into your house?

“I was very scared.”

How did you feel when everything was over?

“Confused and hurt.”

How did you get out?

“I jumped out the window.”

Where did you stay when everything was over?

“I stayed with you and two friends.”


“I remember when the rain started to pick up, and the winds began getting strong, thinking, ‘This is gonna be

worse than Irene...’ ”

“My daughters screamed out, ‘Look at the water!’ I ran to the window and saw a river floating down Van Brunt Street. There was a Porsche floating by with people in it. I was in shock immediate-ly. I looked out the other window and saw the water was up to the door handle of my Ford Explorer. The whole atmo-sphere was completely unsettling.”

“My friends were telling me, ‘You’re crazy, you have to get outta’ there.’ But I didn’t want to leave my shop. So I stayed.”

“I called my brother to come over and he helped me sandbag the area around my house. Then we headed up to the roof to secure loose objects because they were warning the winds were going to reach 80 miles per hour. I remember looking out the window as the streets began to fill with water and saying to my wife, ‘We need to get the cars out of here.’ ”

“I began to hear explosions, and at this point we lost all electricity and heat. There was water everywhere.”

“I decided to stay where I was because I have an 80 year old mother who I couldn’t move. There was 4 feet of wa-ter in the basement. We had to get rid of everything. I remembered the storm warnings for Irene and it wasn’t a big deal so I figured this was gonna be the same thing; I thought, ‘We’ve survived a million storms.’ ”

“The next morning when I woke up I went outside and just stood there star-ing; it looked like Armageddon.”

“The day after was even worse, coming into my shop and seeing all the debris inside, I couldn’t believe the damage, everything in the basement was lost- personal stuff, work things. I can’t even say it was ‘unbelievable.’ It was just numbing, not knowing what to feel, what we were gonna do. Then the days after were freezing, no electricity. The most upsetting part of it to me was the immediate outpouring of tourists that seemed to be taking pictures of other people’s misery. That really bothered me. I did see good things too though, the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

“My neighbor had a lot of issues because her family had been in the house for 100 years and she wound up losing a lot of their stuff. Her grandparents belong-ings were all destroyed.”

“People began to pull together immedi-ately. Early the next morning just a few hours after the storm had ended, Bait & Tackle began serving food. Various orga-nizations and people from the neighbor-hood began distributing food. Neighbors began checking on neighbors.”

“We were almost halfway through the construction of the new restaurant. When I walked into the space the day after the storm and saw the damage done-- I felt bulldozed. Everything was gone; there was about $40,000 in dam-ages. I didn’t start fixing it up for a few weeks. It was a somber time for us. I decided to use my BBQ cooker to cook

meat donated to me for my neighbors throughout the aftermath of the storm. For us it was the only way to cope.”

“The response from regular citizens, re-ligious groups and civic organizations, was tremendous. People were coming from all over - from as far as Louisiana - and they knew what was going on, these people were handy. When they came in, I was shaking. They calmed us down. They did in three hours what would have taken us a week to do. I got so emotional seeing all these people coming out to offer me and my friends and neighbors help. This storm, it re-ally brought out the best in people. It allowed people to show their humanity to their neighbors.”

“During the cleanup someone brought, out of the mud, a silver bowl that was from my mother’s wedding. I still re-member that moment.”

“It was an ordeal. Having to jump through hoops for money and resources. Trying to get yourself back on your feet. It’s an experience I certainly don’t want to go through again. If another storm comes like that I’m packing up and leaving.”

“In the end it took me about 3 months to get back into my shop, redid the floors, poured cement. Now we are solid as rock-literally. After the storm I was too busy getting my own place back to-gether, but now that I’m back in busi-ness, I wanna give back and can offer any Sandy relief organizations discounts on shirt printing. This is what I have to give being a small business.”

“I was born and raised here; my family’s been here since before the BQE went up. That is one of the reasons I really wanna succeed in Red Hook. It’s like completing a legacy for me. I’ve seen the good, the bad - everything out here. Watched the neighborhood change. I was here for the crack epidemic, I was here before this thing got changed, I wasn’t about to leave for a storm.”

“I decided I wanted to do something to help with the recovery for my friends and neighbors. I remember sitting with others in Bait & Tackle lit only by candles and Christmas lights watching the heat leave our bodies. It was here I had the idea of offering commemora-tive Sandy tattoos. The idea soon snow-balled into holding an art auction to raise money for hurricane relief. I rent-ed a local art gallery and gave tattoos in the space while artwork was being auc-tioned off. It was great, we were able to

raise around $12,000 for relief funding. I had artist friends who I hadn’t seen in years, but when I called them up about the event they dropped everything they were doing to create a piece of art for our auction. It was something.”

“Red Hook was the only storm-torn area of the city whose crime rate after the hurricane actually went down instead of up. I felt that was very indicative of the character of the neighborhood.”

“After the damage done to our restau-rant space, I think people thought we were going to leave. But I couldn’t abandon this vision I had of opening my business here and making it a place that people would come to from all over the Tri-State area. Every community mem-ber helped us. After seeing how people in this neighborhood pulled together during the storm. There is no other place I’d rather be in business.”

“I have witnessed that this is what peo-

ple do for each other in this neighbor-hood. They are there for one another. Period.” Thanks to all who shared their stories: John McGettrick, Ethan Morgan, John Dough, Billy Durney, Richard Flanigan, Timothy J. Murphy

A tale of Sandy Various Voices, One Story

by A.B. Decker


By Sunday night it was obvious to all that something was going to happen to Red Hook. Channel 41 set up a news truck by Fairway, and Fairway was out of bread.

PRE STORM MONDAY NIGHT: WATER EVERYWHERE

Water started cascading down Van Brunt Street around 8. Within a span of ten minutes it went from shoe high to knee high. The electricity went out as transformers began exploding. In the darkness, the damage was hard to ascertain at first, but soon frantic car-owners were trying to removed their cars, and the water from the south combined with water from the west, flooding most of the Hook.

TUESDAY MORNING:

THE DEVASTATION REVEALED

By sunrise, the incredible damage the high tide brought became evident. The force of the waters wrecked gates, almost every basement was flooded. Many first floors, cars up and down Richards and Columbia Street were ruined by the salty water. Trees toppled in Coffey Park, garbage was strewn in all sorts of unusual places, and a boated floated down the street and ended up next to the blue wooden wall along Beard Street. The lobby of the apart-ment building at Fairway was strewn with debris, and the glass doors smashed. Fairway was completely flooded and would not re-open until the following March. Probably the most famous scene was the flooding at the foot of Van Brunt Street. However, strangely enough, the tide took most of the water out of Red Hook almost as fast as it brought it in. The effects of that horrific three hours linger a year later, and for many, will never go away.


TUESDAY NIGHT: NO POWER, NO LIGHTS

By Tuesday evening, Con Ed had placed huge arc lights in various places throughout Red Hook. Nobody knew how long the electricity would be out - some areas took over a month for reconnection. Broken meters had to be replaced - electricians made out like bandits as the water damaged the integrity of many electrical systems. The maligned B61 made its way in the black night, Bait and Tackle jury rigged an electrical system using generators - and threw a disco party! Next door at the Ice House, ice and candles provided a cozy place for residents still in shock to relate their stories.

WEDNESDAY: STARTING THE LONG ROAD BACK

THURSDAY: VOLUNTEERS & COALITIONS

By Wednesday, all of Red Hook was buzzing with the noise of gas generators and water pumps. Garbage bags were the new structures along all curbs. Scott Pfaffman had to throw away a lifetime of collecting of art books. Red Hook’s beloved willow tree fell during the storm and had to be dismembered and discarded.

Led by the Red Hook Initiative, established and ad hoc groups began distributing huge amounts of donated goods. Volunteers brought food and medicine to those trapped in the Red Hook Houses, whose elevators and heat were not working. The National Guard came in to distribute army rations and water. Meetings were held at the flagpole and at Visitation Church to plan relief strat-egies. NYCHA shortcomings were addressed, and politi-cians such as Nydia Velazquez, Sara Gonzalez and Velma-nette Montgomery brought what government help they could. Perhaps the most efficient were the hardworking sanitation men, who picked up everything.


JABUS BUILDING CORP.Serving Red Hook for over 25 years

STANDING AS ONE. WORKING TOGETHER. OVERCOMING OUR OBSTACLES.

One year later, Sandy still lingers with us. But the community of Red Hook has survived and triumphed.

Specializing in Construction and Historic Preservation• New construction

• Renovations, additions and extensions • Masonry specialist • Concrete floors/radiant heated • Concrete/bluestone sidewalk repair • Flue linings, chimneys and fireplaces • Demolition and waste removal • Violation removals • Landmark Preservation contractor

Jim & Debbie BuscarelloPHONE: (718) 852-5364

Fax: (718) 935-1263www.jabusbuildingcorp.com [email protected]

HIC License #0883902 Trade Waste License #1135

The business area of Red Hook, specifically on Van Brunt Street, managed to find opportunity

amongst the tragedy that was Hurricane Sandy.

For a city known for being rude and obnoxious, according to a recent poll, conducted by Business Insider, all it takes is one major incident to break New Yorkers out of that state of mind. Twelve years ago it was 9/11 and now most recently Sandy.

The opportunity found amongst so many business owners was in interact-ing with their neighbors.

“I am happy for the experience, it showed who stepped up and who stepped away,” Hector Dejesus manager of Auto Mechanic said.

While some businesses weren’t as se-verely impacted as others, each busi-ness had some sort of connection to the storm following it.

F & M BagelsFor one business that was impacted by the storm, and is still in the mists of re-covering, F&M Café & Restaurant still managed to find a silver lining in it.

“We were very affected by the storm. We’re still feeling the effects of the storm,” Ben Nitti co-owner of F&M Café & Restaurant along with his brother.

The first opportunity came just after the storm. There was very little clear and solid information about how to proceed.

For Nitti, it was the positive behavior of others that really caught his attention.

“The thing that was surprising was how everyone pulled together right after it happened. It was very hard to get informa-tion down here from FEMA,” Nitti said.

According to Nitti, the local eatery had the chance to create new and better re-lationships with other businesses.

“The opportunity came from actually getting to know our neighbors better. People we didn’t know that were in this neighborhood or businesses we kind of got together and helped each other bet-ter,” Nitti said.

For Nitti and his staff, the opportunity of getting to know the neighbors better has made for reassurance.

“Now we know, if God forbid some-thing happens again, we know we can count on certain people,” Nitti said.

Nate’sThe sense of community could also be found in the local pharmacy just down the street from the eatery. The phar-macy just like the eatery faced its own turmoil from the storm but found a way to bounce back from it.

“We lost a lot of items downstairs. All of the company’s restocking we lost it. We never lost business though,” Ida Lagoa floor assistant manager of Nate’s Pharmacy said.

Lagoa explained that the store was

able to get back in business within 24 hours - despite be-ing knocked down behind the scenes in the pharmacy’s basement.

While in the process of help-ing the community, many of whom where in need of the medicine along with other post storm essentials like bat-teries, the recovery provided a chance for the local phar-macy to really get to know their customers.

“It got us bonding with the customers even more; we were more of a family than just customers. This was the only place where people could come in to get more than just Band-Aids” Lagoa said.

BakedThe sense of community also found its way to a local com-fort snack hangout named Baked. The bakery itself on the main floor managed to escape the wrath of the storm. The basement was not able to do so.

“We had four feet of water in the base-ment,” Jeff Palmer owner of Baked said.

Like the pharmacy, the bakery was first able to gain its lights back within 24 hours but took a few days to reopen. Ac-cording to Palmer the reopening came three days after Sandy.

The bakery became a place to escape while the community entered into recov-ery mode and figured out the next steps.

“It was kind of like a hub for the neigh-borhood. Everybody came here,” Palm-er said.

Since the bake shop was becoming the place to go post-storm, people in the neighborhood were able to accomplish whatever they needed that required electricity.

How’re They Doing - Van Brunt businesses a year laterby Camille Daniels

On the way to power vac the Baked basement.


Hurricane Sandy hit Red Hook on October 29th, 2012. By Wednesday, huge mounds of garbage were vis-

ible up and down Van Brunt Street dur-ing the day. At night, they were hidden by the darkness which was broken only by candles, some shops that were run-ning generators and a giant spotlight set up by Con Edison at Visitation Place. The Star-Revue went out that after-noon and spoke to some of the store owners on Van Brunt to see how they were coping in the aftermath of the storm. We recently went back to see how they are doing a year later.

Jim Totten, carpenterWhen we spoke to Jim Totten last year, he marveled at his unexpected foresight in coming back to his carpentry shop one last time Sunday night to move a counter he was building on a desktop. Three months in the making, and just about finished, it was a custom piece commissioned by Stumptown. It is now a fixture at West 8th Street and Mac-dougal Streets in the Village.

W i t h o u t electricity, Jim moved to from his t e m p o -rary space at JCDP Construc-tion on Van Brunt to the rel-atively dry Columbia W a t e r -front Dis-

trict. Last year, he was unsure whether he could repair the five floor model pow-er tools in the shop. As with most of Van Brunt, the water came up five feet from the floor. He was able to save four of the tools by cleaning and reworking the mo-tors with help from friends around the corner. The plywood vacuum was be-yond repair, but they saved a joiner, two

table saws and a dust collector.

Jim took none of the help from outside agencies. “FEMA came by and was very enthusiastic, but in the end, I didn’t ap-ply.” His losses were mostly the three weeks out of the shop, but he retained his clients and “didn’t really lose that much.” His electric meters were on the first floor, just out of the reach of the flood waters.

Sergi’s ImagesSergi’s Images at 260 Van Brunt Street suffered great losses from Sandy. On last year’s visit, they were busily ripping up the walls of their front offices as we

walked in. As in so much of Red Hook, the walls and floor were a total loss be-cause the salt waters made the sheet-rock unsalvageable. The large back-room was a cluttered mess of damaged equipment, pieces of tangled metal and compromised materials. Uba, the fore-man, showed us the five foot waterline.

Sergi is a glazing company that executes designs on mirror and glass. Their im-pressive client list includes JP Morgan Chase and Chelsea Piers. They have been in Red Hook since 1993. Owner Louis Sergi told the Star-Revue that the company lost over $600,000 in equip-ment, repairs and rebuilding - including their three specialty trucks that carry glass. Insurance covered barely a third, the rest came out of pocket.

“But we’re here to stay,” said Sergi. The renovations to the front office are beau-tiful - a giant video screen shows off their past projects, lighting is warm and state-of-the art, and the drafting tables and computers are brand new and nice-ly designed. A trip to the first floor rest-room reveals the utility meters installed six feet above the floor. And the three trucks are all brand new.

Pioneer DeliThe Pioneer Street Supermarket, across from Bait and Tackle, was busy salvag-ing what they could last year. Carmen and her assistants were mopping the floors and throwing out damaged goods that Halloween day in 2012. These days, the popular grocer looks very much the same as before the storm. But a talk with Carmen reveals the hard row they have hoed this past year. Aside from ReStore Red Hook funds, Carmen has had to replace tens of thousands of dollars of spoiled inventory at her own expense. As with most of the businesses we spoke with, she was unwilling to take on SBA loans, and FEMA was not helpful to businesses.

Revisiting the commercial strip by George Fiala

We didn’t encounter anyone that was able to afford flood insurance, even before Sandy. “We lost $17,000 worth of cigarettes,” Carmen revealed, “and I have been able to pay back all but $5,000 so far.” She has stayed in business in part because of her vendors, most of whom have allowed her to repay them with terms. She stored a lot of goods in the basement, mostly consisting of food and household supplies, and all was lost. Trevor of the nearby Brooklyn Ice House kept a huge amount of beer in his basement - all similarly lost.

Carmen has been working longer shifts, as she had to cut payroll in order to bring her bills down, “little by little,” as she says. She had to replace the bottom three shelf fixtures throughout the store, as the water covered up three fifths of the sellable space. But as a survivor, she opened up as soon as pos-sible after the storm, even as repairs were being made. Many other b u s i n e s s e s exper ienced the same sce-nario, as rents had to be paid throughout.

MarksA few doors down is the popular Mark’s Pizzeria. When we walked in last year, owner Tony Kokale was bemoaning the loss of the compressors attached to his back wall that operate his walk in refrigerator. The compressors survived Sandy, but burned out when Con Ed turned on the electric prematurely for a few minutes during the general black-out. Kokale was under the impression that he had flood insurance, as he used a broker to purchase his store insur-ance, but later was told that he didn’t. He did strangely receive a few thousand in what was called a refund for overpay-

Jim Totten in his shop at 199 Van Brunt (photos by Fiala)

Tony has kept the door in the backyard that shows the water line.

Sergi’s back room is spotless compared to last year’s disaster.

ment of his premiums in the past.

The only other help he had to recover has come from the $12,000 he has re-ceived from ReStore Red Hook, as no government agencies have provided as-sistance. He estimates he had to spend over $30,000 out of pocket to redo the pizza shop. This figure doesn’t include the food he lost, including cases and cases of soda, tomato sauce and cheese.

We inquired as to how business com-pared this year with last. “I’ve had to cut two employees,” Kokale confided. “It’s as if people have disappeared. Now we’re lucky if we have two busy days a week, last year it was at least four. We lost a lot of deliveries from Snapple, who have laid off half their staff. And Heineken is gone.” Tony is planning an advertising campaign to try and bring back some lost business.

Rocky Sullivan’sRachel Fitzgerald, one of the owners of Rocky Sullivan’s, over on Van Dyke Street, told us that their cost to re-open has turned out to be greater than their original moving-in costs.

They lost inventory, tables and chairs, the credit card machine, all the com-pressors, and the ice machine. The stage, along with mikes, monitors and PA sys-tem still need to be replaced. Things that seemed to be salvageable at first have been breaking down in the months since the storm.

The owners have had to dig deep to come up with the money to keep going. So far they have received one payment from ReStore Red Hook, and are expect-ing one more.

Happily, like most Red Hook businesses, they are surviving, and the Star-Revue enjoyed burgers and stew and the World Series.

Saturday night they are having one of their big shows of the year, as Black 47 have included Rocky’s as part of their farewell tour.

Sergi’s completely remodeled front office.

Looking at pizza is one of the joys of Mark’s. Eating them is even better!


Below is a statement written by residents of Pioneer Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn which will serve as an example for the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, a nationwide coalition calling for corrections, delays and an affordability study of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. Hopefully it will be used as testimony for the House Financial Services Committee hearing on the devastating impact of “Biggert-Waters.” The hearing is scheduled for November 13, 2014.The historic Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, in New York City is home to many working and middle-class families who have lived here for generations, as well as artists and small busi-nesses which have contributed to the recent revitalization of this diverse waterfront community. Pioneer Street is one of the few preserved blocks in the neighborhood, comprised of nearly forty late 19th century brick row houses. These small, three story buildings, each between only 1,500 and 1,800 square feet, are mostly primary residences. Many also include a rental unit on one floor, and this income helps keep the neighborhood affordable by reducing the expenses of homeownership in New York City. In turn, this affordability helps keep property values in the neighborhood stable.

Pioneer street itself is approximately seven and a half feet above sea level, and even though it is located well inside New York Harbor, and not subject to any wave action or moving water, the flooding that resulted from Super Storm Sandy did inundate the lowest, “garden--level” floors of all of our homes, which are a few steps down from the street. This was the first flooding of this kind in well over 100 years, if ever. The damage from this still water flooding was significant, but not crippling. Mostly, it was mechanical equipment, electrical service, insulation and finishes that needed repair. Only a few homes had any structural damages, and this was typically minor. Almost all of these homes were fully repaired within six months, and most homeowners were able to continue to live in their homes during the repairs. Although the storm was devastating, its effects were relatively short-lived.

This will not be the case with the Biggert-Waters Flood Reform Act, which threatens long-term and irreversible damage to our homes, our neighborhood, and our community. This so-called re-form act, which was passed months before Sandy, calls for dramatic and unprecedented increases in flood insurance premiums for policies administered through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). These premiums will be set primarily according to the elevation of a home relative to a base flood elevation, which is approximately twelve feet above sea level on Pioneer Street, regardless of when the homes were actually constructed. This is a departure from the previous regulation, which did distinguish between pre-existing houses and new developments. As a result, Red Hook homeowners may see premiums rise as much as sixty times their current rates, from as little as $1,600 per year to as much as $36,000. According to FEMA, the only way to afford these crippling rates would be to literally raise our homes by as much as 8 feet.

The 19th Century, joisted masonry construction of our houses makes them impossible to el-evate. In order to avoid these new premiums, our only option would be to tear down our entire block – forty Civil War Era houses – and rebuild from scratch, which is not financially feasible for any of us because like most Americans, most of our net worth is in our homes, and subject to mortgages which we work very hard to pay off. Our intimate knowledge with the flooding caused by Sandy, and our associated experience filing flood insurance claims through the NFIP, unique-ly qualifies us to evaluate the proposed changes to this program. To be blunt, we are confused as to how the new, unsubsidized premiums can be justified as “actuarial.” These yearly premiums represent, on average, somewhere between 33% and 200% of the actual settlements paid out by the NFIP to Red Hook policy-holders following Sandy. This for an event with a probability of occurrence of 1/100, according to FEMA’s own flood maps (in truth, Sandy is likely the worst flood in 500 years of recorded NYC history, arguably making it less likely). Even if we were to assume that the frequency of these events will increase twofold over the next fifty years, and factor in generous allowances for overhead and administration, the numbers don’t come close to adding up. In fact, the premiums would be unjustifiable even if these policies had paid out 100% of their value ($250k) following Sandy, which they did not.

No rational homeowner would participate in this program at these rates, since it would be vastly cheaper to self-insure. This will deplete the insurance pool, leading to more deficits for the NFIP. In addition, those of us who are required by their mortgagees to carry such insurance will be caught between a rock and hard place; unable to afford their homes as result of these crip-pling flood insurance premiums, yet also underwater on their mortgages and unable to sell and relocate because of the effect mandatory insurance at unjustifiable prices will have on property values.

Fortunately, there are many alternatives to Biggert-Waters’ “reforms” which can improve the solvency of the NFIP without victimizing homeowners. A team of New York City experts under the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) proposed several such alternatives. For example, offering homeowners the option of lower cost, high deductible policies would help mitigate some of the severe affordability issues that Biggert-Waters threatens, would continue to protect homeowners from catastrophic loss, and would ease future demands on the NFIP by reducing smaller, non-catastrophic repetitive claims. Similarly, the NFIP could offer credits – substantial enough to serve as an effective incentive – against insurance premiums for proven flood design improvements, such as elevating sensitive equipment and electrical service, avoid-ing the use of permeable construction materials like BATT insulation or drywall, and employing flood vents to equalize hydrostatic pressure across structural walls in the event of severe flooding to prevent serious structural damage. These design improvements alone would have reduced the Sandy flood damage experienced in Red Hook by upwards of 66% for most properties.

Biggert-Waters tries to balance the flawed design of the NFIP on the backs of innocent, hard-working homeowners in neighborhoods such as ours. This is an outrage, especially because so many good alternatives exist. Biggert-Waters needs immediate and dramatic reform along with an affordability study. We implore you to get to work.

For more information see www.StopFemaNow.com

Community CalendarCB 6 - Meetings begin at 6:30 pmMon Oct 28: Environmental Protection/Permits & Licenses at the 78thPolice Precinct. 65 6th Avenue, 4th floor Court Room Mon Nov 4: Executive Committee at the Cobble Hill Community Meeting Room. 250 Baltic Street (Court & Clinton Street) Wed Nov 13: General Board Meeting at the John Jay Educational Campus. 237 7th Avenue, Auditorium (between 4th & 5th)

Mon Oct 28: Cobble Hill Association will meet with community members to discuss the latest legal actions regarding LICH at Cobble Hill Nursing Home Health Center. 380 Henry StreetWed Oct 30: Red Hook Civic Association in the PS 15 Auditorium at 7:30 pm. 71 Sullivan StTues Nov 5: 76th Precinct meeting at 191 Union Street at 7 pm. Fri Nov 8: SBIDC’s Industrial Growth initiative for businesses will meet at NYC Business solutions from 8-10 am. 9 Bond St., 5th Fl., PACE Conference Room A/BMon Nov 18: Supreme Court Justice Johnny Lee Baynes will hold a contempt hearing against SUNY at 10 am. Local residents are encouraged to attend. 360 Adams Street, 4th Fl. Sun Oct 27: Participatory Budgeting Neighborhood Assembly will meet to allow community members and stakeholders to suggest ideas on how to spend $2 million for capital projects in the district from 4-6 pm at Visitation Church. Light refreshments will be served. 98 Richards Street

Sandy AnniversaryFriday, October 25Halloween Havoc at the wicked Red Hook Winery begins at 9 pm until midnight. Get down and dirty with the 1 year anniversary party. Don’t even think you are walking in sans costume. 175-204 Van Dyke St. $35Saturday, October 26Red Hook Pride, The Sandy Edition! begins at 8 pm with a concert by TYLAN formerly of Girlyman. Tickets are $15 or pay what you can. Doors open at 7:30 pm.Community Voices Heard is supporting The Survivor Feast, a 1 year Hurricane Sandy Anniversary Dinner at Red Hook Initiative from 6-8 pm. Dinner will be served with live entertainment as well as a platform for an open discussion about the aftermath. Please bring a dish. 767 Hicks St. Sunday, October 27A march from Red Hook to City Hall Turn the Tide on Sandy: Sojourn and Rally to Mark One-Year Anniversary of Sandy will be held at City Hall in Borough Park in Manhattan at 4:30 pm. Tuesday, October 29Sandy One Year Acknowledgement Anniversary will be held at Red Hook Initiative from 5-7 pm at 767 Hicks Street on the corner of W. 9th Street. All of Red Hook and friends are invited to join in Coffey Park for candlelight vigil at 6:45 pm. Bring a candle, flashlight or headlamp. Immediately following the candlelight vigil, community members and friends will walk from Coffey Park down Van Brunt to the IKEA waterfront. At 7:45 pm, communities in Sandy affected areas will gather along shorelines to welcome the beginning of a new year. Red Hook Volunteers (RHV) is hosting a performance and celebration featuring Tashonda Haughabrook of RHV at Atelier Roquette at 8:30 pm at 63 Commerce Street.Friday, November 3Assmblyman Felix W. Ortiz invites community members to a town hall meeting to discuss emergency preparedness and ongoing issues related to Hurricane Sandy from 5:30-8 pm at the Miccio Center located at 110 W. 9th Street.


My mind remembers things in pictures. There are so many pictures that will forever stick with me

from late October and early Novem-ber of 2012. To many the events of Hurricane Sandy were a blur. But my mind has remembered it in a series of pictures.

I was a kid in south Louisiana when Hurricane Andrew hit. My parents drove to Mississippi to buy ice. Ice that was probably triple the price it was normally sold for. When they returned home hours later to a darkened house, I was sitting on top of our deep freezer eating Chef Boyardee ravioli out of the can.

That evening, as bedtime approached, sandbags surrounded every entrance to our house. The storm had passed two days before, and I was enjoying an en-tire week out of middle school.

While most people thought the worst had passed for the Gulf states, the weathermen announced the surround-ing rivers were still rising and would breach flood levels overnight. I imag-ined waking up the next morning, step-ping into three or four inches of water. Our entire house would be a swimming pool! I think I slept in my bathing suit.

The water flooded the majority of our neighborhood. Nearly every house took water inside, including our neigh-bors. But we were spared, the water rising to only a couple of inches below our doorstep.

In 2005, I watched from New York televisions while Katrina terrorized New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi. While everyone else watched in hor-ror, I desperately made phone calls to family and friends - to no avail for the first five days.

When the city all but closed down in 2011 for Hurricane Irene, my Brook-lynite roommate thought I had lost my mind. I boarded up our windows, gath-ered every candle and flashlight I could find, filled the bathtub and every other empty container with water. I bought 12 gallons of water and 3 loaves of bread, among many other non-perish-ables. We even had bags packed, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Every pillow and blanket we collectively owned was in the interior hallway.

When the storm hit, I settled in and waited. I waited while the lights bare-ly flickered. The winds quietly blew through. I was as prepared as I knew how to be for a seemingly false alarm. For most of the city, things quickly went right back to our normal.

One year later, when Sandy was an-nounced, I tried to keep my head on a little bit more. The previous year’s storm gave the indication that we would not be swallowed by the sea, especially since Sandy was a weaker, faster moving storm. Still, I taped up windows, filled bathtubs, had plenty of food and water. I even insisted on hav-ing full gas tanks for the cars.

But I was lucky. I parked under a tree in a neighborhood that many trees fell in. I waited too long to find sandbags

and had to settle for waterproof sealant tape for the office doors. I didn’t think to move hard-drives and other electrical equipment off of the floor.

On Sunday night, George and I drove around Red Hook, taking note of the neighborhoods’ preparations. Officers were knocking on doors, reminding peo-ple they needed to evacuate. The water was choppy, and boats tugged against their anchoring ropes. The streets were eerily quiet and dark. Massive piles of sandbags lined seemingly indestructible iron doors at the foot of Van Brunt. And a bright, pregnant moon hung low in the night sky. We solemnly headed back to Bay Ridge, hoping we could again evade the impending bullet.

emergency kit: rope, duct tape, gorilla glue, dry clothes, snacks and water, and cash. I put on my rain boots and rain-coat. My mother called just as we were leaving, and I promised her I was not going anywhere. I hesitated in the door-way, and headed out to Red Hook.

By 7 pm Monday night, Van Brunt be-yond Pioneer Street was impassable. Hazard lights on a car flashed in the distance. I grabbed my book sack and camera. I don’t know if I sloshed down there to help or to take pictures. I don’t remember treading out there. But I can still hear my pulse throbbing in my head. Dozens of people stood behind me on dry ground, and I felt helpless and small, completely overwhelmed. I re-member muttering to myself, “Oh God. This is only the beginning.”

Water filled my boots. I was drenched. My shivering was partially from the cold, mostly from the horror.

Bicycles and trashcans were halfway submerged. The sidewalks were indis-tinguishable from the streets. Front door stoops and steps were quickly disappear-ing. Water rushed angrily around my knees towards dry land, nearly knock-ing me off my feet and finally back to my senses.

We drove around to Richards Street, where the water was beginning to spill over from Van Brunt. Columbia Street and the Houses were still above wa-ter for the time being. Coffey Park re-mained intact.

We went around the Battery Tunnel, where the weatherman reported was fill-ing with water from the West side High-way in Manhattan. The end of Sackett Street was dry. We drove past the office, and sighed with relief that we hadn’t been hit yet. Even the far end of Union was still dry. We drove down Columbia towards Atlantic Avenue, taking note that nothing there had flooded.

Fifteen minutes later, we went back to Sackett. Where only wet pavement had been, ankle deep water had washed ashore. Every street behind Van Brunt was beginning to fill. Water seemed to be pouring in from every possible di-rection. At Hamilton and Van Brunt, a crowd had gathered. A police cruis-er with erratically flashing blue and red lights blocked the entrance to the Cruise Terminal.

I waded into the water along the fence into the terminal. Behind the chain-link fence, a truck was parked in the parking lot. The water had risen above the bed of the truck up to the rear win-dow. I snapped a quick photo that is more a reminder of that night than it is picture-worthy.

Time evaded me; I don’t know how long I stood there. Noise didn’t reach me; the bright police lights did not faze me. I stood looking at this truck as if it was symbolic of the entire unfolding nightmare. This one vehicle was the train wreck I couldn’t take my eyes off of.

George’s voice finally broke through to me. He was calling me back. As I waded back, a police officer told George it was time for us to go. I emptied my boots and

we rounded the corner of “Dead Man’s Curve” around the Battery Tunnel.

I insisted on driving. What my eyes saw next, no one has yet to confirm, even George who was in the car with me. As we passed, a tidal wave came through and crested at the base of the tunnel. I was too terrified to stop the car.

After a long night of sitting at my apart-ment, not being able to do or see any-thing, George and I headed back into Red Hook at dawn - dirty, fearful and unrested. The streets were empty and the cold rain still dribbled. We spent hours canvassing the neigh-borhood for signs of devastation; they were everywhere. Cars had been pushed around in the Fairway parking lot and shards of glass littered the ground where doorways were. Two feet of salt water sat stagnant at the end of Van Brunt. A favorite willow had been uprooted. And who among us can forget the boat that had washed over a fence?

The silence engulfing the streets was most disturbing to me. Very early, the streets were deserted, like Red Hook had become extinct over night. When people did emerge, they spoke in som-ber whispers. People’s eyes reflected the images they had witnessed the previous night and the despair for their losses.

On Pier 41, a woman was opening her metal gate for the first time. She moved slowly, almost painfully into the dark and destroyed place. I couldn’t stop myself from saying hello, followed by a “how are things?” She didn’t look at me, as though I were an alien invading her realm of pain. But she acknowledged me saying, “Not good.”I didn’t get her name. I don’t know what her business was. I cannot remem-ber anything about her, except they way her voice sounded. Far away, bleak and distraught. And that is exactly how I re-member that very first cold, rainy day.

Twelve months later, nothing is as it seemed that day, even with the cold-ness of fall and winter creeping in. Busi-nesses are back in business. The wreck-age of cars and boats has been removed. The same familiar faces stroll down the familiar streets. But underneath all of us that experienced Sandy, there is some-thing more. Something that is beauti-fully painful, but human and connected.

There is still much work ahead of us. We still need more time to put the trag-edy behind us. For me, I will mourn on October 29. But on Thursday, October 31, I will celebrate.

I will celebrate the people who came out of their homes and businesses. I will celebrate the embraces and compassion from so many that day. I will celebrate the neighborhood that fed, provided for and kept each other warm. Because all of the despair and heartache leads me back to that moment both prior to and after.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012, that for-gotten Halloween day, gives me hope for the mountains I climb.

Where there is life, there is courage and strength and hope. Where there is darkness, we have created light. And where there is humanity, a community will survive.

Reflections of an editorby Kimberly Gail Price

In the late afternoon Monday, George showed up at my house in full rain gear. “We have to go see,” he said. Mean-while, my mother’s voice replayed over and over again in my head. “Kimberly, you just hunker down and stay there.” I forbid him to go.

I invited George in and broke out the Scrabble board. There was no way - just absolutely no way - I was going out. I may be a reporter, but I am no fool. At least I didn’t think I was.

Several hours passed, and the winds started to howl. But the rain just didn’t seem heavy enough to justify the monu-mental disaster being predicted. Were we being spared?

George could sit idle no more. He was going with or without me. I packed an




THROUGH NOV. 15, 2012 FREE

RED HOOK A RARE MASTERPIECERed Hook is not the

only devastated community. Millions felt the storms; thousands are still feeling it. For us, here, in south Brooklyn we are community. A community of neighbors, friends and survivors. A community of heroes.

In lower Manhattan, shadows filled the darkened night streets, as people isolat-ed themselves. In Breezy Point, Queens, people were forced to abandon their homes that were destroyed by fire. In Coney Island, looters created disruption

with their aggression and self-serving purposes. All over Brooklyn, police lie in wait at gas stations to prevent vio-lence and riots. But not in Red Hook.Red Hook created something else instead. something unique. Something the entire nation has taken notice of - community.

Red Hook is being defined as “one of the hardest hit areas of the city,” by Reuters, Democracy Now! and CNN News. But we are also being defined by our efforts to stand together as commu-nity and support each other. Red Hook Initiative was first to organize. Fort De-fiance, Home/made and Brooklyn Crab have all held barbecues to feed the com-munity, despite their own losses. The circle of support continues to grow, as new headquarters for information pop up along Van Brunt. We became the source of our own needs - from within. We have organized, ral-lied and supported each other. When there has been need, we have found a

way to fill it. And when devastation seemed to have knocked us down, we still found the strength to rebuild. Up to this point, we have had very little government assistance. But our people have not gone hungry. Our buildings and streets remain dark; but our hearts and hopes are still lit. We may have been hit and damaged by Hurricane Sandy, but minute by minute we are gaining fortitude.

Before the National Guard showed up - before FEMA, NYCHA, Con Edison or the Red Cross got here, we started rebuilding. Not one at a time, but as one. And as this masterpiece of a com-munity gets to its feet and takes those first harrowing steps forward, the eyes of the world are watching in awe.

There is much to be said about the hu-man spirit of this community. No one has sat by idly, waiting for rescue. We have taken care of our own. And we will continue to do so. We are neigh-bors of a community that can be envied

in every corner of the world. We stand united, in power, compassion and in-spiration. We have found our greatest strength in a moment of great weakness.We will rise above the ashes. We will re-build. We will survive and grow stronger because we understand that two hands can do little, but multiple hands serving the same purpose will define and refine us.

Thank you for illustrating what it means to be a community. thank you for exemplifying the true model of human spirit. Thank you for giving me hope and setting the example for the kind of world I want to live in.

Red Hook, you have stood for your neighbors, and they have stood for you. The healing process will be long and difficult. But every day, healing is hap-pening. Day by day, we mend our homes and businesses. And along the way, we are weaving a beautiful tapestry that gen-erations will remember and look upon as something of magnificence. —Kimberly Gail Price

Marianne Williamson wrote a poem that Nelson Mandela gave at his inaugural speech in 1994 after being imprisoned for 27 years. Many years ago, I memorized it. The poem is a beautiful description of the human spirit. - Kimberly Gail Price

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant,gorgeous, talented, fabulous?”Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.Your playing small does not serve the world.There is nothing enlightened about shrinkingSo that other people won't feel insecure around you.We are all meant to shine, as children do.We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciouslyGive other people permission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear,Our presence automatically liberates others.


AN EMERGENCY SUPPLIES KIT SHOULD INCLUDE:n Water—at least a 3-day supply; one gallon per person per dayn Food—at least a 3-day supply of non-perishable, easy-to-prepare foodn Flashlightn Battery-powered or hand-crank radion Extra batteriesn First aid kitn Medications (7-day supply) and medical items n Multi-purpose tooln Sanitation and personal hygiene itemsn Copies of personal documents: medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policiesn Cell phone with chargersn Family and emergency contact informationn Extra cashn Emergency blanketn Map(s) of the arean Baby supplies n Pet supplies n Tools/supplies for securing your homen Extra set of car keys and house keysn Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoesn Rain gearn Insect repellent and sunscreenn amera for photos of damage

If a tropical storm or hurricane watch is issued:n Listen to the radio for critical information from the National Weather Service (NWS.)n Check your disaster supplies and replace or restock as needed.n Bring inside loose, lightweight objects, such as lawn furniture and garbage cans.n Anchor objects that will be unsafe to bring inside, like gas grills or propane tanks. n Charge cell phone batteries.n Basements are vulnerable to flooding. Move valuable items to upper floors.n Refill prescription medications.n f you live in an evacuation zone, consider moving your vehicle to higher ground. n Close windows, doors and hurricane shutters. If you do not have hurricane shutters, close and board up all windows and doors with plywood.n If you live in a high-rise, you may lose water service if the power goes out. Fill bathtub and large containers with water in case clean tap water is unavailable. Use water in bathtubs for cleaning and flushing only. Do NOT drink it.n Turn the refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting and keep them closed as much as possible so that food will last longer if the power goes out.

n Turn off propane tanks and unplug small appliances.n Fill your car’s gas tank and generator with fuel.n Talk with members of your household and create an evacuation plan. Planning and practicing your evacuation plan minimizes confusion and fear during the event.n Learn about your community’s hurricane response plan. Plan routes to local shelters, register family members with special medical needs as required and make plans for your pets to be cared for.n Evacuate if advised by authorities. Be careful to avoid flooded roads and washed out bridges.

FAMILY EMERGENCY PLANEveryone needs to be prepared for the unexpected. You, as well as your family and friends, will most likely not be together when disaster strikes. How will you find each other? Will you know if your children or parents are safe? You may have to evacuate or be confined to your home. What will you do if water, gas, electricity or phone services are shut off?Gather information about hazards. Contact your local National Weather Service office, emergency management office and American Red Cross chapter. Find out what type of emergencies could occur and how you should respond. Learn your community’s warning signals and evacuation plans. Assess your risks and identify ways to make your home and property more secure.

Meet with your family to create an emergency plan. Pick two places to meet: a spot outside your home for an emergency, such as fire, and a place away from your neighborhood in case you can’t return home. Choose an out of state friend as your family’s point of contact for everyone to call if the family gets separated. Discuss what you would do if advised to evacuate.Implement your plan.1. Post emergency telephone numbers by the phone.2. Install safety features in your house, such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.3. Inspect your home for items that can move, fall, break or catch fire and correct them.4. Have your family learn basic safety measures, such as CPR and first aid, how to use a fire extinguisher, and how and when to turn off water, gas and electricity in your home.5. Teach children how and when to call 911 or your local emergency number.6. Keep enough supplies in your home for at least 3 days. Assemble

an emergency supplies kit. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers, such as backpacks or duffle bags. Keep important documents in a waterproof container. Keep a smaller emergency supplies kit in the trunk of your car.Practice and maintain your plan. Ensure your family knows meeting places, phone numbers and safety rules. Conduct drills. Test your smoke detectors and NWR monthly and change the batteries at least once each year. Test and recharge your fire extinguisher(s) according to manufacturer’s instructions. Replace stored water and food every 6 months.

Know the Terms: Familiarize yourself with these terms to help identify a hurricane hazard:

Hurricane Season: June 1 to November 30. Historically, the greatest potential for hurricanes in New York City occurs from August through October)

Tropical Cyclone: A warm-core non-frontal synoptic-scale cyclone, originating over tropical or subtropical waters, with organized deep convection and a closed surface wind circulation about a well-defined center. Once formed, a tropical cyclone is maintained by the extraction of heat energy from the ocean at high temperature and heat export at the low temperatures of the upper troposphere.

Tropical Depression: A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed (using the U.S. 1-minute average) is 38 mph (33 knot) or less.

Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind speed (using the U.S. 1-minute average) ranges from 39 mph (34 knots) to 73 mph (63 knots).

Hurricane: A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind (using the U.S. 1-minute average) is 74 mph (64 knots) or more.

Storm Surge: Accounting for the largest number of hurricane fatalities, storm surge is a dome of ocean water that is pushed ashore by the oncoming hurricane’s winds. A major hurricane could push more than 30 feet of storm surge (the height of a three-story building) into some parts of New York City, and storm surge can travel several miles inland. Storm surge and large battering waves can endanger lives, destroy buildings, erode beaches

and dunes, and damage roads and bridges. Storm Tide: The actual level of sea water resulting from the astronomic tide combined with the storm surge.

Hurricane Warning: An announcement that hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) are expected somewhere within the specified area. Because hurricane preparedness activities become difficult once winds reach tropical storm force, the hurricane warning is issued 36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.

Hurricane Watch: An announcement that hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) are possible within the specified area. Because hurricane preparedness activities become difficult once winds reach tropical storm force, the hurricane watch is issued 48 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.

Tropical Storm Warning: An announcement that tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are expected somewhere within the specified area within 36 hours.

Tropical Storm Watch: An announcement that tropical storm conditions (sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph) are possible within the specified area within 48 hours.

Short Term Watches and Warnings: These watches/warnings provide detailed information about specific hurricane threats, such as flash floods and tornadoes.

FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OR WHO HAVE SPECIAL NEEDSMake sure your preparedness plan addresses how your special needs affect your ability to evacuate or shelter in place, and communicate with emergency workers. Arrange help from friends, family, or neighbors if you will need assistance. Allow additional time and consider your transportation needs, dietary needs, and special medical needs (oxygen, extra batteries, eyeglasses, prescriptions etc.)

Information Compiled From The Websites Of American Red Cross, National Weather Service, Fema And NYC Office Of Emergency Management.

Next time you’re in a hurricane - Be Prepared!


Licensed Electrical ContractorsCommercial • Residential • Industrial

Free Estimates

Violations RemovedAll Types of WiringEmergency Service

Vito Liotine(718) 625-1995(718) 625-0867

[email protected]

137 King StreetBrooklyn, NY 11231Fax: (718) 935-0887

EMERGENCYSERVICE

Add local media to your marketing plan.

Advertising in The Red Hook

Star-Revue can lead to increased profits.

Call today

718 [email protected]

Saturday, October 26th, 8:00 p.m.,It’s the double-bill that will leave everyone talking.

The Lost Tribe of Donegal& Black 47

Black 47 have already announced that,exactly 25 years after their first gig,

the members will go out on the top of their game.

Do you really want to miss the opportunity see these two amaz-ing sets of musicians perform together on the same stage?

IF YOU THINK WE’RE GOING TO DIGNIFY THAT WITH A RESPONSEYOU HAVEN’T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.

Hours: Noon to 10:30 pm Tues. to Thurs. Noon to 11pm Friday. 4pm to 11pm Saturday & 4pm to 10:30pm Sunday.

kamau ware and I met in a Pittsburgh gallery that he ran, nearly 9 years ago; we’ve been together since. For this spe-cial issue, I’m taking a break from my regular fashion coverage to discuss his latest project, a documentary film, and his fondness of the Red Hook commu-nity. Editor’s note: kamau intentionally uses lower case in his name and when refer-ring to himself in the first person. Lesley: What do you love most about Red Hook?kamau: The “village” feel is a unique contrast to the architecture of NYC. The industrial feel against the warm & fuzzy people make for a splendid vibe.Lesley: Why did you choose to move your studio to this nabe?kamau: i got to know Red Hook through the Red Hook Initiative. Then i got plugged in deeper with Dance Theatre Etc., producing the Red Hook Fest and teaching at South Brooklyn Community High School. Now i’m on the Board for Cora Dance and Red Hook feels very much like home. After completing the documentary on RHI’s response work after Super Storm Sandy, i feel confident that this “nabe” has a bright special future. Lesley: What is a challenge that your studio had to overcome after Sandy?kamau: We’re a community based photography studio, so our clients, friends, and our team were all in the same boat. Lesley: Yes, you just finished making a documentary, Rethinking Power, about Hurricane Sandy. What’s the premise?kamau: Storms come and go, even Super Storms. But who you are before the storm can get you through [it]. Red Hook is a special place and what happened here after Sandy was an amazing illustration of the human spirit.Lesley: What do you hope viewers will take away from Rethinking Power?kamau: It would be nice if people have a permanent imprint of the power and vulnerability of a community.Lesley: Why do you choose to keep your studio in Red Hook? kamau: Community. There’s a community at the studio spaces surround-ed by another community. i’m in the people business. Community means a lot to me personally and my business.

Lesley Ware interviews kamau

Lesley Ware tweets as @creativecookie

Filmmaker + Photographer + Storyteller, kamau ware


JABUS BUILDING

CORP.Serving Red Hook for over 25 yearsSpecializing in Construction and

Historic Preservation• New construction• Renovations, additions and extensions• Masonry specialist• Concrete floors/radiant heated• Concrete/bluestone sidewalk repair• Flue linings, chimneys and fireplaces• Demolition and waste removal• Violation removals• Landmark Preservation contractor

Jim & Debbie BuscarelloPHONE: (718) 852-5364

Fax: (347) 935-1263 www.jabusbuildingcorp.com

[email protected] License #0883902

Trade Waste License #1135

No job too big or too small

Toilets, Boilers, Heating, Faucets, Hot Water Heaters,

Pool Heaters.

B & D HEATING507 Court Street 718 625-1396

Star-Revue ClassifiedsPLUMBING

NEW HEIGHTS CONSTRUCTION LLC

VISIT OUR ONLINE SHOWROOM www.NewHeightsConstructionNy.com

Siding • Windows • Roofing • Fences • Kitchens • Painting • Baths • Basements • Decks

• Doors • Awnings • Patio Enclosures • Brick Pointing

• Concrete StuccoNYC Licence# 1191201

800-525-5102718-767-0044

Free EstimatesAsk about

our Window Specials!

CONTRACTINGCONSTRUCTION

In the wake of a storm, the physi-cal damage is obvious. Images of broken windows, down trees and flooding are often used to depict

the devastation left behind. However, natural disasters often take an emo-tional toll on their victims as well – which can last long after the clean-up efforts are complete.

Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens recognized a need for counsel-ing services in areas such as Red Hook and Gowanus that were hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy. As a result, Project Hope was formed to offer assistance to storm victims. In addition to provid-ing emotional support to adults, the organization recently formed a part-nership with BumbleBeesRus Child Care Center to pay special attention to the impact the storm had on some the youngest Red Hook residents.

Team Leader, David Rood-Ojalvo supervised a group of counselors who led the students (ages 2-5) through a two-part lesson designed to help them identify and manage the feel-ings of panic, fear and loss that a tragic event can induce.

Talking about a bearThe counselors wrote and illustrated an original story of a bear whose cave is destroyed by a flood. The children were encouraged to talk about what the bear and his family were feeling as a result of their loss. In the second part of their lesson, the preschoolers explored their own feelings by draw-ing people and objects that make them feel safe. They also used bubbles

to reinforce deep breathing as a cop-ing technique.

“As a resident of the community and mother of two children with firsthand knowledge of the ef-fects the storm had on the kids, I was happy to connect with Proj-ect Hope,” says BumbleBeesRus Family Worker, Lorinda Cruz.

Big Hope for Little Red Hook Residents By Angela Johnson-Archer

While one of the goals of Proj-ect Hope’s work with Bumble-BeesRus has been to promote resilience in difficult situations, Rood-Ojalvo admits that the people of Red Hook have al-ready demonstrated tremendous courage over the past year. “It’s been amazing to see how

mentally strong Red Hook has been through all of this [devastation],” he says. “I feel so privileged to work [on this project.]”BumbleBeesRus is located at 76 Lorraine Street. They offer Pre-K childcare. Their phone number is 718-858-8111.

Don’t be a fool - advertise in the Star-Revue!


480-500 VAN BRUNT STREETBROOKLYN, NY 11231718.694.68688AM-10PM DAILY

UPPER WEST SIDE • UPPER EAST SIDE • HARLEM • PELHAM MANOR • RED HOOK • PARAMUS • PLAINVIEW • STAMFORD DOUGLASTON • WOODLAND PARK • WESTBURY • KIPS BAY • CHELSEA • NANUET

FAIRWAYMARKET.COM

Fairway’s arrival and commitment to Red Hook in 2006 spurred the neighborhood’s rebirth. Sandy devastated our store and our community. We brought our employees to work at our other stores; we served hot meals to our neighbors; we donated food, money, and supplies; and we never lost faith in our home. And now we’re back. We love this neighborhood. We’ve always been there. We’ll always be there.

BROOKLYNSTRONG(ER)

EXPIRES NOVEMBER 30, 2013

$10OFF $75MINIMUM PURCHASE

Limit one coupon per person. Excludes alcoholic beverages. Must present coupon to cashier at time of checkout. Valid at Fairway Red Hook retail store. Not valid for online or catering orders. Void where prohibited, if altered, reproduced or transferred. Coupon cannot be replaced if lost, damaged or stolen. Coupon is not valid to employees of Fairway Group LLC.

7 55 8 9 4 0 3 9 9 0 3

Documents

Star revue sandy issue 2013